BK Publications - Peace in the Park - Oxford

It's the time of the year again when the BKs decide to bring in newcomers and sell lots of merchandise.

I cannot recall the amount exactly, but last year BK Publications director was very proud of the amount that was made in selling so many BK related goods. One cannot help thinking, if they are a registered as a charity, then the amount of money should go to good causes. Personally, I don't think it will.

The BKWSU "Publications director" is Jaymini Patel. What does she know about books?

She was a sweet girl, and could be funny or even flirty for that matter, but she did not strike me as a great intellectual.

Does she get paid by the separate company they use to sell their publicity materials? I remember reading in the accounts that the BKWSU paid BK Publications, Ltd a "management fee".

I heard she had a little 'holiday' from the BKWSU ... do you know what happened? She had a great figure, it would have been a shame if she never used it.

Like most of the Western BKs' evangelist programmes these days, people go to the 'Peace in the Park - Oxford' event not knowing what they are about and that the money and PR they make off goes to the ends which it does ... to encult others into a bizarre End of the World cult.

Will the Relax Kid woman be there promoting her business?

That's interesting, Jaymani Patel never struck me as an intellectual individual either, how is it she is the BKWSU Publications Director? She always came across as a flirty individual, which is against the BK God's Shrimat to me too. I bet she flirts theses days.

It would be interesting to know if she got paid by a separate company, if anyone had details.

I do believe Jaymani Patel had a "holiday period" from the BKWSU over several years ago, when she had packed her bags, all of the BKs were shocked. Janki made an announcement in the morning class of the so called sad news. Then she re-appeared later. Of course, naturally, if any new student were to asked this she would flatly deny any of it.

It's a complex event, this so called Peace in the Park, many non BKs will attend, not knowing what the BKs are really about. I am not sure about the Relax Kids woman, I believe she will be there.

I do believe Jaymani Patel had a holiday period over several years ago. When she had packed her bags, The entire BKs were shocked, Janki made an announcement in the morning class of the so called sad news. then she re appeared later.

You can get yourself out of the BKs easily enough, but you cannot get the BKs out of you as easily.

ex-BK chat forums like this and others are invaluable, giving a plurality of opinions and experiences to share and consider. If you leave and have only the highly conditioned mindset one has practiced for years, you can feel you are starting again, at the bottom, feeling out of sync with society and old friends and family, feel like years wasted, the way ahead bleak (especially as one would still be shaped by the whole vinash/karma thing).

It then becomes easier to "tuck tail", pull your ears in and bow your head and return humbly (humiliated?) to where that mindset "works" in one's favour rather than against, where one is known - and even where one might be considered experienced, "a senior" and can advise others about the futility of leaving.

The prophecy is self-fulfilled and therefore, in a perverse way, satisfying.

That's interesting, Jaymani Patel never struck me as an intellectual individual either ... It would be interesting to know if she got paid by a separate company, if anyone had details.

I am not sure about the Relax Kids woman, I believe she will be there.

The company, aka the "literature department" is called:

Brahma Kumaris INFORMATION SERVICES
65 POUND LANE
WILLESDEN
LONDON
NW10 2HH
Company No. 03009586

The BKWSU (UK), together with its trading arm Brahma Kumaris Information Services, has established several Inner Space Centres to provide an oasis of calm in the midst of city life. These have opened in Covent Garden and Wembley in London, and in Cambridge, Romford and, just recently, Oxford."

It reported 'cash at bank' of £279,598 on 31/12/2011 and 'assets' worth £362,834. Board members past and present include:

KALPANA Patel, secretary, 27 Apr 2010-
NEVILLE JOHN HODGKINSON, director, 25 Jan 1995-
RATAN THADANI, director, 13 Jan 1995- also ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY FIVE WALM LANE LIMITED with other BKs
GIRISH WADHWANI, director, 9 Jan 1996-
inactive JAYANTI KIRPALANI, secretary, 13 Jan 1995- 9 Jan 1996
inactive PARUL SHAH, secretary, 9 Jan 1996-27 Apr 2010
inactive SATISH MOHAN LAL, director, 25 Jan 1995-16 Jun 2005
inactive MANU RAMBHAI Patel, director, 13 Jan 1995- 4 Dec 1995
PINKESH Kumar Patel, director, 12 Dec 2012-
SUNIL MOHAN DARYANANI, director, 1 Dec 2012-

The BKWSU accounts say BKIS is "run autonomously with all decisions taken by company officials predominately the managing director" but sharing 3 or so director. Do you believe "autonomously"?

I don't have any further information at hand, nor know what or if the managers are paid what, they were Jaymini Patel and Steven Curry at one point, but if anyone wants to investigate more this is a starting point.

A number of demi-BKs or serviceable contact souls who have left and had relationships ... however the BK categorise them ... are involved, e.g. Lucinda Drayton is "curating" the artistes involved, and likewise get to promote themselves and their own business, e.g. Marneta from a previous year doing "children service".

I am of that opinion that the Brahma Kumaris are not run autonomously and not run on donations. That is what they want us to believe. Is it quite possible that the BKs, the very BKs who say attachment is bad, and not to have attachment to the material world and have millions around the world listening to their God's word, are, in reality, attached to material matters and many things. The 7 sins comes to light. From what I understand, Jaymani and Steve Curry were working closely together. I, too, have very little on this at this point.

I don't understand what you mean when you say, "the Brahma Kumaris are not run autonomously and not run on donations".

If they are not run "autonomously", who runs them, and if they are not run on donations, where do they get their money from? The Charity Commission accounts says they are.

What about the Dadis, like Janki, and Jayanti? Do they have their own private income? They appear to live without any wages. Did Jayanti keep her family money?

My point was that, in my opinion, if there are donations given to the BKs either through public programme or voluntarily through an individual own donation, that would not be enough for such a vast expansion.

Yes, there are many ways donations are given and many individuals part with their money, many others also submit in blind faith to giving up their life long income for the BK's God or service. What my point was here is giving up someone's income to then surrender to Baba, or VIPs around the world donating money, that cannot be a form of donation, as deep down it's all in blind faith.

I am not sure if Dadis like Janki have their own private income. For instance, you see in 'Peace in the Park' in Oxford, many will part with their money for purchasing BK products, that may be of free will. However, if we see the sizeable donations, and amount of centres around the world, if all of that has been purchased through donations from outside, I am not too convinced.

No one in the right frame of attitude will give up their income voluntarily. So what I meant to say is, BKs may get their money from donations, however, if it's achieved through blind faith, it can never be seen as the real type of old fashioned donation.

My point was that, in my opinion, if there are donations given to the BKs either through public programme or voluntarily through an individual own donation, that would not be enough for such a vast expansion.

So where does the money come from or how do they get it?

Obviously, most so called "centers" are just the private homes of the individuals who own and live in them. Many of the so called centers only have a handful, or even just one or two BKs in them. It's always struck me as cheating of the BKs to call them all centers. It is as if the Vatican called the home of every Christian a church.

As moreclearernow alluded, running a temple in India is a business and depends first and foremost about owning, grabbing or getting land from the government. FIrst you build a temple, stick a few deities in it, then you get donations (over simplified explanation, I agree, but fairly true and fairly true across the whole of Asia).

So the clever businessman, Lekhraj Kirpalani, saw an opening in the market for a network of "home churches". No need to wait to have the money to buy land for a temple where the competition is strong, open up centres in domestic houses. And that is what they have done the world over ... slowly concretising the most successful of them into corporate run businesses. It's has allowed them to expand quickly.

I tend to think the money they will make at a gig like Peace in the Park will hardly cover costs. I would guess it's the same as at a low level pop concert ... the marketing goods are more for raising awareness or PR value than the amount they make from them.

And then what happens, BK Publications is a separate company. The money from its sales goes to it. Who gets it and how is it spent ... how many royalties do they have to pay to which authors and artists? I've heard again that there is some contention in that area as some give for free, some are taken for free but others, their BK VIPs, get paid. Ditto when Lucinda or Bliss sells CDs and Marneta gets bookings, do they pay an agreed donation?

Business or temple?

BKs are greedy that's what I experienced.